Breakdown of É difícil aprender uma língua nova.
ser
to be
novo
new / young
um
a / an / some (all forms)
difícil
difficult
aprender
to learn
Questions & Answers about É difícil aprender uma língua nova.
Why isn't there a word for 'It' before É?
In Portuguese, you don't need a subject pronoun like 'it' for general statements. The verb form É (which comes from the verb ser, meaning 'to be') already means 'It is' all by itself.
Why do we use the infinitive aprender (to learn) here instead of conjugating it?
When talking about an action in a general sense, Portuguese uses the infinitive form. The common structure 'It is [adjective] to [do something]' always uses the infinitive for the action verb, just like in English.
Does difícil need to be feminine to match uma língua?
No, because difícil is describing the action of learning (aprender), not the language. Additionally, adjectives ending in -il like difícil are gender-neutral, meaning they use the exact same form for both masculine and feminine words.
Why does nova come after língua?
In Portuguese, most descriptive adjectives come directly after the noun they describe. So 'a new language' translates to uma língua nova (literally 'a language new').
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